Mediterranean Vegetable Soup (Printable)
Hearty Mediterranean vegetable soup with olive oil, fresh herbs, and white beans simmered to perfection.
# What You'll Need:
→ Vegetables
01 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 1 large yellow onion, diced
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 2 medium carrots, sliced into rounds
05 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
06 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
07 - 1 medium zucchini, diced
08 - 1 medium eggplant, peeled and diced
09 - 1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes with juices
→ Broth and Beans
10 - 5 cups vegetable broth
11 - 1 can (14 ounces) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
→ Herbs and Seasonings
12 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
13 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
14 - 1 bay leaf
15 - Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
→ Garnish
16 - 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
17 - Lemon wedges, for serving
# How To Make It:
01 - Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and minced garlic, sautéing for 2 minutes until softened and fragrant.
02 - Add the sliced carrots, celery, diced bell pepper, zucchini, and eggplant to the pot. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften and release their natural juices.
03 - Pour in the diced tomatoes with their juices, vegetable broth, and cannellini beans. Add the dried oregano, dried thyme, bay leaf, and season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine all ingredients evenly.
04 - Bring the soup to a full boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and let it simmer gently for 20 minutes, or until all vegetables are fork-tender and the flavors have melded together.
05 - Remove and discard the bay leaf. Taste the broth and adjust salt and pepper as needed to balance the flavors.
06 - Ladle the hot soup into individual bowls. Sprinkle each serving with freshly chopped parsley and serve alongside a lemon wedge for a bright finishing squeeze.
# Expert Hints:
01 -
- It comes together in under an hour with ingredients you probably already have sitting in your pantry and fridge.
- The layered flavors from dried herbs and slow simmered vegetables taste like you spent far more effort than you actually did.
- It freezes beautifully, so making a double batch is one of the smartest weeknight moves you can make.
- Everyone at the table can customize their bowl with lemon, parsley, or a drizzle of good olive oil at the end.
02 -
- Salt your eggplant only after it goes into the pot because pre salting is unnecessary for soup and just adds waiting time you do not need.
- The soup thickens considerably as it sits overnight in the fridge, so loosen leftovers with a splash of broth or water when reheating.
03 -
- Bloom the dried oregano and thyme in the hot olive oil for about thirty seconds before adding the onion because toasting dried herbs wakes up their essential oils and doubles their flavor impact.
- Make this soup a day ahead of when you plan to serve it because the overnight rest transforms good soup into something remarkably better.